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Arbitrary violence is neither radical nor revolutionary activity, and peace groups must eventually take a stand against such violence when it comes from Left groups. If peace groups do not condemn the violence within the Left, they forfeit the moral authority to condemn the violence of either the Right or the government.
As in Charlottesville and Berkeley, we have seen an increase in violence at rallies, campus talks and demonstrations. The violence is often initiated by right-wing groups (white supremacists, neo-Nazis and ultranationalists) but recently we have seen reports of it being initiated by ultra-left groups, also referred to as Antifa groups.
The peace movement appears to have adopted an unspoken policy of turning a blind eye to leftist violence, rationalizing it as “defensive” and assuming that it is caused by agent provocateurs. This is a huge denial of reality, as the Antifa groups themselves openly declare their support for violent tactics. Even a cursory look at some of the websites maintained by Antifa groups or their supporters (e.g., BAMN, It’s Going Down, NYC Antifa, Redneck Revolt, Refuse Fascism, Solidarity Across Borders) makes their commitment to violent tactics clear.
They have attacked journalists and photographers, individuals wearing pro-Trump hats, and conservative academics. One group told a reporter in an interview that they were targeting not only fascists, but the police and university professors who didn’t teach the “histories of nonwhite and non cismale people.”
The arguments that have emerged from these clashes often focus on “free speech vs. hate speech,” but that’s red herring. As B. Sidney Smith eloquently explains in an article about Antifa and the Greens:
“The question this strategy raises about free speech is not whether hate speech is Constitutionally protected. The question is not whether nazis should be allowed to promote their agenda, nor is it whether rallies in support of racism should be permitted in public. The question, rather, is who decides….Antifa deny the legitimacy of public authorities. But they arrogate to themselves the authority to define the acceptable boundaries of political expression. To claim public authority without public accountability is the very definition of authoritarianism.”
The peace movement has fallen back on the St. Paul Principles to justify its refusal to condemn leftist violence. The St Paul Principles declare that “our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and the
plans of other groups.” I would argue that this is a “loophole” statement. By rationalizing violent tactics under the guise of “respect for diversity,” it allows groups committed to nonviolence to turn a blind eye to those who instigate violence at public demonstrations.
Tolerating “left” violence under the guise of “respect for a diversity of tactics” is, at worst, destructive of the peace movement because it undercuts the very principles and tactics the movement is committed to. It lowers the bar to the level of groups advocating violence, rather than raising it to the level aspired to by nonviolent groups.
It’s no longer enough to declare that one’s organization is nonviolent in mission. Given the increasing violence of both left and right extremists in America, it is now crucial that peace groups unite, declare a general adoption of nonviolent tactics, and collectively demand the secession of violent tactics by the fringe minority that has promoted itself as the vanguard defenders of the peace movement.
All this fringe has brought is more violence, more police surveillance, and more alienation of the movement from the general public. Again, I will repeat, if peace groups do not condemn the violence within their ranks, they forfeit the moral authority to condemn the violence of either the right or the government.
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